How to Make Enemies: Speak the Truth

How to Make Enemies: Speak the Truth   

John 8:48-59

     Bookstores and libraries are filled with self-help books and the market for them is growing all the time.  Actually the first best-selling self-help book was How to Make Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie in 1936.  Millions of people have read this book or have taken courses based on the book.  There are a lot of helpful strategies in the book that can be useful in business, sales, and many areas of life.  While the book is not necessarily religious, many of the principles that the author proposes could stand along side clear Christian principles of dealing with people.  In the past weeks we have heard the words of Jesus as He talked about the new commandment, love one another as I have loved you.  However, there are some areas where I don’t think that Jesus would agree with Carnegie.  As you read the Gospel lesson for today, you have to notice that Jesus wasn’t making too many friends by what He was saying.  In fact, you could title this section, “How to Make Enemies: Speak the Truth.”  As we consider what Jesus had to say and the challenges we have as Christians in our world today, may we realize that, in the long run, speaking the truth in love is truly the God-pleasing way to influence people.

     This reading starts right off with a rather shocking statement by the Jews.  “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?”  In their minds this was about the most insulting thing that they could have said to Jesus.  In the verses that come before this, Jesus had been speaking the truth to them about their attitude toward Him.  They were claiming their place in the Kingdom of God based on the fact that they were children of Abraham.  Jesus responded to that by saying that if they were truly children of Abraham they would believe in Him.  Because they didn’t acknowledge that He was from God and was the Messiah, they were really children of the devil.  That didn’t win Him any points.  He was telling the truth.  They didn’t like to hear the truth.  Jesus then added these important words, “Whoever is of God hears the words of God.  The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

     It’s then that they came out with the insults about Jesus being a Samaritan and having a demon.  This whole ugly scene ended with them picking up stones to throw them at Him, a punishment for someone who blasphemed God.  Jesus showed a bit of His divine power by hiding Himself somehow and leaving the temple area.  No stones hurt Him but He still left an angry crowd behind.  This was a good lesson for the real followers of Jesus.  He told them that they would face persecution.  Proclaiming the truth of the Law and the Gospel was not always going to be the popular thing to do.  When you read the Book of the Acts of the Apostles you will find many examples of the persecutions that they faced from the leaders of the Jews.  They were put in prison.  They were beaten.  Stephen was stoned.  James was executed.  It was all because they spoke the truth, a truth that the people of the world did not want to hear.  If you want to make enemies, speak the truth.

     Down through the history of the Christian Church the situation has not changed.  The early Christians faced persecution first from the Jewish leaders and later from the Romans who considered their emperor to be a god.  Allegiance to any other was punishable by death.  Later on when the church drifted from the truth, those who spoke out lost their lives.  The crusades, as misguided as they were, sought to preserve the truth against those who denied the Word of God and salvation through Jesus Christ.  That same kind of persecution continues in parts of the world today.  In our own country, the truth is silenced in the name of political correctness and tolerance.  Those who proclaim God’s truth are criticized and insulted in much the same way that Jesus was insulted for telling the truth.  If they can’t respond to the truth they stoop to name-calling.  That is simply a product of our sinful, selfish human nature.  Jesus was right.  If you do not believe the truth, you are not of God.  If you are not children of God you are children of the devil.  It’s that simple.

     The big question for us though now is, how will we respond to the pressure to forsake the truth?  When the world around us seeks to follow the philosophy of don’t criticize anyone, don’t confront someone with their sin, don’t even use the word sin because that’s too negative, what is a Christian to do?  You want to get along with people.  You don’t want to cause offense to anyone.  Do you follow the easy path and simply say, “Oh well, live and let live?.”  Do you just want to be everyone’s friend?  Then you will just keep your mouth shut and say nothing.  You will buy into the lies and you will end up just as Jesus said to those who criticized Him, “You are of your father the devil and your will is to do your father’s desires.”  That paints a pretty depressing picture doesn’t it.  The truth can sometimes be depressing when it convicts us of sin.  But you need that.  You need it often because you are constantly being tempted to follow the ways of the world and you often give in to that temptation.  If you aren’t confronted with the truth of your sinful nature and the sinful acts that flow from it, you can easily convince yourself that you are OK and that your way of thinking makes a lot of sense.  When that happens, you will find yourself slipping farther and farther away from the truth of God’s Word.  It is then that the truth of the Law needs to be heard and it needs to touch your heart and help you to see the reality of your sinfulness and your need for rescue. 

     On this Trinity Sunday, you can rejoice because you have the opportunity to reflect on the work of the Triune God on your behalf.  God the Father in His infinite love, saw your hopeless condition and sent His only begotten Son from His throne in heaven into the world to become a human being so that He could face temptation just like you do and stand up to the devil’s tricks and remain without sin in your place.  He then took all your sins to the cross and gave up His life as the sacrifice to make atonement for your sins.  He then sent the Holy Spirit through the Means of Grace, the Word and the Sacraments, to bring you to saving faith in Jesus and strengthen and keep you in the faith.  Through your Baptism, you became a Child of the heavenly Father.  You received the gift of the forgiveness of sins, rescue from death and the devil and the faith that leads to eternal life. Through the Lord’s Supper you also receive that power of the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of sins and the power to resist temptation and live a God-pleasing life.  The Three-in-One, our Triune God, has done all that is necessary to bring us from the depths of despair because of our sin into the joy of new life now and the eternal blessings of heaven.

    You have been brought to the truth and through the power of the Holy Spirit, you have believed the truth.  That faith in Jesus as your Lord and Savior gives you the victory that has been won for you.  You have a wonderful message of truth to proclaim to all those around you.  Just remember that when you tell the truth, you will face opposition.  Just as Jesus had to deal with those who would not let go of their man-made traditions, you will have to deal with people who have rejected the truth in favor of their own brand of man-made religion.  In spite of that opposition you can be confident that you have the truth and that God’s will is being proclaimed.  Through the love and mercy of God, the Father, you are loved and cared for, through the Son, your sins are forgiven and you are reconciled to the Father, and through the work of the Holy Spirit, you are brought to faith and sustained in that faith through the Means of Grace.  May the Church give thanks to the Trinity and proclaim the truth, even it is means making enemies, until Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life, comes again.  Amen.

Rev. Gerald Matzke
Zion Lutheran Church
May 26, 2013

I Will Continue to Make It Known

I Will Continue To Make It Known”  

John 17:20-26

     On this Mother’s Day, I would like you to think about what you consider to be the most important thing that a mother should do for her children.  I’m sure you could come up with a number of things that would be very important.  Certainly you would want to love them with an unconditional love that models the kind of love that you have received from God.  Certainly you would also want to provide for their basic needs of food and clothing and shelter. You might also want to consider teaching your children some important life skills like cooking and cleaning and being good stewards of all the blessings that God has given to them.  Teaching good manners would also be somewhere on that list.  As you work your way through the list of important things that a mother should do for her children you come to the realization that it is a big job being a parent.  Your work is never done.  The responsibilities of parenting can be overwhelming.  Fortunately all these things that have been mentioned and more do not have to be taught all at once.  Some lessons can start very early and others can wait until the children are ready to handle some of the more complex skills and attitudes that are a part of growing up. 

     I recently read a short book by entertainer Dolly Parton.  It was an extended version of a commencement speech she gave at the University of Tennessee.  In it she spoke about what she considered to be one of the most important things her mother taught her.  She taught her a love of reading by reading her the Bible.  Interestingly enough, by doing that, her mother was carrying on what Jesus talked about in our Gospel lesson for today.  As we look more closely at what Jesus had to say, may you recognize the role that you play in Jesus’ work of being our Prophet, Priest and King. 

     The Gospel lesson for today is part of what has been called Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer.  It takes up all of chapter 17 of John’s Gospel.  This took place just before Jesus and His disciples left the upper room where they took part in the Passover Meal.  He prayed to His heavenly Father about the events that were soon to take place.  He prayed for His disciples that they would continue to be guarded in the truth.  He prayed that they would be sanctified, made holy.  In the section where our reading for today picks up, Jesus prayed not only for them but also for those who will believe in Him through their word.  Do you realize who is included there?  You and I are a part of that group of people who have believed through their word.  Through the teaching and writing of the Apostles, the Gospel has been passed down from generation to generation right up until the present day.  Pastors, teachers, and parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters have been part of the process of making the Good News of salvation by God’s grace through faith known to the next generations.  In the last verse of the prayer Jesus said the words that I read before, “I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

     I mentioned before that Jesus was carrying out His work as our Prophet, Priest and King.  As our Priest He offered Himself as the Sacrifice for our sins.  A priest would also pray for the people.  This is what Jesus was doing as He came to His Heavenly Father in prayer on behalf of His disciples and those who would believe through their teaching.  He was also carrying out His office as our Prophet.  A prophet was to speak for God.  Since Jesus was Himself God, when He spoke it was God who was speaking,  He did this during His earthly ministry as He told His hearers all about the kingdom of heaven often through parables and at times simply telling them plainly about God’s will.  You have an example of that in John 16 where Jesus spoke plainly about what was going to happen.  The disciples even commented in verses 29 and 30, “Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech.  Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God.”  He continues to carry out that work of speaking for God through the people who are sent today to speak His word in churches and classrooms and in homes. 

     Here we begin to see the answer to the question about what is really important for a mother to pass on to her children.  Jesus said that He would continue to make the Father’s name known.  When he talks about the Father’s name, He is referring to everything there is about the Father and His relationship to His special creation.  He is talking about the Father’s love in promising a Savior when mankind fell into sin.  He is talking about how God provided for His chosen people when they were rescued from their slavery in Egypt and as they wandered in the wilderness for forty years before He led them into the promised land.  The message continues as the Father sent His only Son into the world to live a perfect life in the place of fallen mankind and then caused Him to sacrifice His life as the punishment for your sins.  He overcame the power of sin, death and the devil when He rose again and then ascended into heaven to rule over all things.  There He carries out His role as our King.  One day He will come again to judge the world and lead His faithful in victory to their heavenly home.  That is the message that Jesus will continue to make known. 

      One of the ways that He makes that message known is through our families.  The first teacher that a child has is its mother.  No one is closer and no one has more influence in those early years than a mother.  Did you ever consider that part of your task as a mother was to be a part of Jesus’ promise to continue to make the Father’s name known?  What an awesome blessing to be a part of that process! 

     Jesus adds then, “that the love with which you have loved me may be in them and I in them.”  That is the love that assures you of the forgiveness of your sins, forgiveness for the times when you have neglected to apply God’s love to the situations in your life when your patience was tried to the breaking point; forgiveness for the times when you allowed the devil, the world and your sinful nature to rule your life and as a result you made bad decisions that had a negative effect on your children; forgiveness for the times when your example was not consistent with all that is wrapped up in God’s name.  We are all sinners.  We are not perfect.  But God’s message of love and forgiveness in Christ picks us up and gives us the freedom and courage to continue on and be a part of the process of making the Father’s name known to your children and your children’s children.  You can teach and model God’s love in Jesus to your children because you have experienced that love yourself. 

     The teaching starts early as you care for that helpless infant that God has placed in your care.  The blessings of Baptism soon follow through the power of the Holy Spirit. It continues by teaching prayers and reading to your child about the love of God as we find it in His Word.  Bible story books can become favorite stories at bed time.  Teaching children to be Christ-like in all they do helps them to learn attitudes of humble service to others and a love for others, especially those who need to know about the love of God in Christ Jesus.

     It all comes down to another part of the prayer that Jesus prayed.  I’m sure it is a prayer that every mother, every Christian parent, would pray for their child.  In verse 24 we hear, “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.”  Jesus wanted His disciples to be able to see his glory in heaven.  Isn’t that what you want for your children as well, for them to see Jesus in all His glory in heaven?  What a blessing to be part of Jesus’ plan to continue to make the name of the Lord known!  He does that today through you as you pass on the Good News to the next generation.   Amen.

Rev. Gerald Matzke
Mother's Day  2013
Zion Lutheran Church
Painesville, Ohio

He Opened Their Minds

He Opened Their Minds   

Luke 24:44-53

    Greetings in the name of our risen and ascended Lord Jesus.  A service like this where people from the congregations of our circuit gather together for worship brings back a lot of memories for me.  When I was young and impressionable, I can recall attending services with my family when a circuit or even a larger group of Lutherans would gather for a special occasion.  My biggest thrill that I can still remember was being old enough to sing in the combined adult choir.  As I mentioned, I was at an impressionable age.  Those occasions instilled in me an appreciation for the church-at-large.  In other words, I came to realize the importance of the fact that there were other Lutherans out there who believed the same things I did, who worshiped the same way I did, and who worked together to carry out God’s purposes for His Church here on earth.  We really do need each other in order to do the work that God has planned ahead of time for us to do.  That’s why I put a high priority for myself and encourage my congregation to attend services like this.  Sadly, the response is not what it used to be.  Most of our congregations can say the same thing when it comes to membership and attendance.  But the reality is that we live in a different world than the one when I grew up in the fifties and sixties.  That makes it more important for us as people of God to observe the Ascension of Jesus and what it means for us.  As we look at what Jesus said to His disciples on that day, may we be moved by the Holy Spirit to use His power to open the minds of those around us.

     I have always been fascinated by the passages in the Gospels that tell us that Jesus opened the minds of the disciples.  It happened twice after Jesus rose from the grave on Easter.  The first was with the disciples on the road to Emmaus on Easter evening.  Earlier in Luke 24 we hear how Jesus interpreted in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.  Later after He vanished from their sight they said, “Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked to us on the road, while He opened to us the Scriptures?”  I don’t know about you but I have always wished that I could have been one of those disciples to have that “holy heartburn.”

     Now in our Gospel lesson for this Ascension, we hear that Jesus opened the minds of His disciples to understand the Scriptures.  I’m sure you have seen cartoons that show a character who has finally figured something out and he has a light bulb going on over his head.  Since they didn’t have light bulbs back then we have to imagine perhaps an oil lamp being lit over their heads.  Jesus opened their minds so that they could see the connection between the writings of the prophets of old and the fulfillment of those prophecies in His life and ministry. 

     What a blessing that would be for them in the months and years to come.  The information that Jesus taught them on that occasion would be the foundation of what they would believe and teach when the Holy Spirit would come on them as Jesus had promised.   With authority they would proclaim Jesus to be the Christ, the Savior of the world in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.  Not only would they teach and preach but some of them would also write the accounts of Jesus life and be able to show how His life, death, resurrection were just as it had been foretold by the prophets.  They would have the understanding that they were to call people to repentance and through Christ be assured of the forgiveness of their sins and the promise of eternal life in heaven for all who believe.  It is that written Word that would communicate the saving message of the Gospel to people throughout the world and throughout the ages.

      This is where you enter the picture.  In a real sense, your minds have been opened by the power of the Holy Spirit through the inspired writing of the Apostles and Evangelists.  Following Jesus’ example, the New Testament writers pointed out how the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus were God’s plan of salvation from the beginning.  From the first promise to Adam and Eve right on through the proclamations of John the Baptist, the hearts of the people of God were prepared for the coming of the Messiah, the Christ, the Savior.  The Gospel writers told you all that you need to know about the way to heaven.  St. Paul and the others who wrote the Epistles opened your mind to understand the Scriptures so that you could apply them to your life as a child of God.  In the letter to the Romans, for example, St. Paul lays out the essential teachings of Law and Gospel.  He talks about the Christian life that joyfully responds to the undeserved love of God demonstrated in Jesus Christ.

     Through the Word of God and the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, collectively known as the Means of Grace, the Holy Spirit continues to work in your heart to strengthen your faith and equip you to fight against the temptations of the devil, the world and your sinful nature.  At the same time you are also equipped to carry out God’s purposes for His people here on earth.  Jesus made it clear to the disciples before He ascended into heaven what that purpose is.  Repentance and forgiveness should be proclaimed in His name to all nations beginning at Jerusalem.  Then He told them, “You are witnesses of these things.”  If you are called as a witness you are expected to tell what you know.  You are not to keep the information you have to yourself.  Yet in our world today it has become more difficult to give witness to the faith that we share.  In a spirit of tolerance it has become against the rules in many places to share your faith. 

     What is a Christian to do?  You can think back to the disciples who were put in prison in the time after Pentecost because they were proclaiming Jesus.  The leaders of the Temple commanded them to stop teaching people that Jesus was the Christ and that He rose from the dead.  Their answer actually provided them with another opportunity to carry out Jesus command.  Recall what they said. “We must obey God rather than men.  The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging Him on a tree.  God exalted Him at His right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.  And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”   Of course that didn’t go over well with the religious leaders.  They beat the apostles and told them again to stop teaching in the name of Jesus.  We are all here today because they didn’t follow human orders. 

       You now have the opportunity to carry on the example of the apostles and use the power of the Holy Spirit to open the minds of people around you.  By faith you have been able to witness the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.  Today you are celebrating His ascension to the right hand of the Father.  You have some Good News to share with a world that, in many cases, does not understand the purpose of Christ’s coming into the world.  They may claim to have some knowledge of God and Jesus but the real meaning of Jesus’ coming is a mystery.  You know the truth.  Surprising to many Christians, there are still many in our community who don’t know much about Jesus at all.  They operate under a kind of “do good and you get rewarded” understanding of religion.  You know the real way to heaven.  You are witnesses.  By the power of the Holy Spirit, you have had the blessing of having your mind opened so that you can see God’s whole plan of salvation played out in the Old Testament and the New Testament.  You have answered the call to repentance and you have received God’s forgiveness through Jesus’ sacrifice of His body and blood on the cross.  You have rejoiced at His resurrection and you now live under Him in His kingdom.

    What a wonderful story you have to tell.  What a joy it will be see hearts and lives changed by that same power of the Holy Spirit in the Word when they have their minds opened to understand the Scriptures, when they believe in the One who ascended into heaven to rule all things by His mighty power in love, when they follow in your footsteps and begin witnessing to the love you shared with them.  Amen.

Rev. Gerald Matzke

Circuit Ascension Service

May 9, 2013

Faith Lutheran Church, Mentor, Ohio